MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
252 
That this would often he the case in England is surely a reason why our 
officers should have all the advantages which a system of manoeuvring 
troops in the open country can give, at present the only experience of the 
kind our officers have is gained in the hunting field, and we should be in 
had plight without it, but, alas! we cannot all afford to hunt. Eeally, 
though we have no law like the Prussian, I believe that manoeuvring in the 
open country in England would not by any means be impracticable. Of 
course a country not too much enclosed must be chosen, such as is offered 
by our Downs districts. Earmers who allow hounds over their growing 
crops would not be very difficult to persuade to allow troops to go over 
their stubbles in September ; bye and bye perhaps we should see the counties 
ready to settle the compensation by local arrangement, in order to ensure 
the coming of a large body of troops (including it may be hoped Volunteers 
and Eeserves) among them, who are always good customers in many 
ways. The lines of operations should be by lines of railway, and the 
troops would live in camps pitched by the side of railways, thus the expense 
of road transport could be avoided. Our railways are now so numerous 
and they triangulate the country so closely that it would not be difficult to 
plan a manoeuvre campaign which would give the requisite amount of moving 
about and yet leave the troops within reach of their camps by the railway 
side at night. 
The presence at the manoeuvres of a General in chief command, who with 
his Chief of the Staff has no duty but to criticise, has an admirable effect. 
At the Krilik after each day’s manoeuvres he would descant at length upon 
the good conduct or upon the errors which he had had leisure to notice. 
Mistakes were not infrequent, but were always pointed out. I heard 
General Herwarth particularly disapprove of too extensive turning 
movements of a strategical nature, he made a pointed distinction between 
the expediency of the practice of flanking movements of this description 
and those of a tactical kind, and commended the latter as developing the 
tact, adroitness, and coup d 3 odl of the individual commanders, and as pro¬ 
mising the best results when skilfully employed, whether by skirmishers or 
infantry detachments alone or combined with other arms. 
I also heard General Herwarth condemn the outposts as not being 
sufficiently far forward and the night pickets as not being posted early 
enough. This seemed indeed a bad habit the troops had ; in the opinion of 
the Chief of the Staff, General v. Sclottheim, who made the campaign of 
1866, whenever the ground admits of it the cavalry should furnish an outer 
line of pickets by day and the infantry should occupy also in the day time 
an inner line of pickets on the very line which it is intended they should 
hold at night. Thus they would become well acquainted with the ground 
while all is in their possession and it is yet daylight. 
Remarks on Infantry. Vide p. 262. 
(The mode in which the infantry work across country differs much froln 
ours and deserves attention. The habitual use of columns when moving 
from point to point even within range of artillery seems necessary 
though it has its evils. I conceive that it is impossible to move across 
country, or even for any distance, in lines, and if possible it would not be 
